ISLAMABAD: Police in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province have said that around 63 bandits have been killed and 45 injured in an ongoing operation against criminals residing in the riverine areas of Rahim Yar Khan district, state-run media reported. 

The riverine areas or “kacha” areas as they are known in the local language, have been long associated with bandits. The hostile terrains in these areas, located in Sindh and Punjab, make it difficult for law enforcers to act against criminals who take shelter here. Some of the kacha areas notorious for crimes include Ghotki, Kashmore, Rajanpur, and Rahim Yar Khan. 

Some areas in the two provinces are so dangerous that people avoid traveling after sunset to avoid getting robbed, though police say they have cleared most “no-go areas.” In August, 12 policemen were killed when bandits attacked them with guns and rocket-propelled grenades in Rahim Yar Khan district’s riverine areas.

“The Punjab police’s intelligence-based operations are ongoing in the Kacha area of Rahim Yar Khan in which 63 dangerous criminals were killed and 45 injured so for,” state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Sunday. 

The APP quoted a Punjab Police spokesperson saying that Rahim Yar Khan Police has established permanent posts in the district’s riverine area.

“The Punjab police are present in the region with full force and extensive resources,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the APP. 

Inspector General of Police Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar said all necessary resources, including long-range weapons, vehicles and bulletproof vehicles were being utilized against criminal elements in the area. 

“The intelligence-based targeted operations will continue in Kacha till the complete elimination of criminal activities,” Dr. Anwar was quoted as saying by the APP. 

The state-run media said 531 citizens were prevented from being kidnapped in the kacha area so far through “vigilance at border checkpoints.” The state media said police teams will continue intelligence-based targeted operations to “completely eradicate” crimes.
 

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang will arrive in Islamabad on Monday for a four-day visit to the country where he is expected to discuss economic and trade ties with Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, and attend the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, state-run media reported. 

The Chinese prime minister will arrive in the capital with a high-level delegation from Oct. 14-17. His delegation will comprise ministers and officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the China International Development Cooperation Agency, Pakistan’s foreign office said a day earlier. 

China is a major regional ally and investor that has funneled billions of dollars into Pakistan over the years for projects part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC is a multi-billion-dollar transport, energy and infrastructure network that links Pakistan’s deep-sea ports to Chinese cities in an effort to bolster regional trade and commercial activity. 

“At the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese Premier Li Qiang will arrive in Islamabad today on a four-day visit to Pakistan,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

Sharif and Li Qiang will lead their respective delegations in discussions related to economic and trade ties between the two countries, and cooperation on the CPEC project, state media said. It said the two sides will also discuss regional and global developments. 

Qiang’s visit to Pakistan takes place after the Oct. 6 suicide attack near an international airport in Karachi in which two Chinese nationals were killed. Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said had targeted Chinese nationals, including engineers.

A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region to press demands for a share in mineral-rich regional resources.

China has frequently urged Pakistan to ensure security for its citizens. 

SCO SUMMIT 

The Chinese prime minister will also attend the SCO Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) scheduled to be held in Islamabad from Oct. 15-16. The CHG is the second-highest forum within the SCO which focuses on fostering cooperation among member states in socio-economic, trade, and financial sectors.
The council meets once a year to discuss multilateral cooperation between member states and priority areas within the organization, determine fundamental and topical issues in economic and other spheres, and approve the SCO budget.

The last SCO CHG meeting was held in Bishkek on Oct. 26, 2023, during which Pakistan assumed the rotating chair of the platform. 

Apart from the Chinese prime minister, the summit will be attended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov, Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kokhir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, First Iranian Vice President Mohammadreza Aref, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Other participants include Prime Minister of Mongolia Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai as an observer and deputy chairman of the cabinet of ministers and foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, as a special guest.